Printed television program guides can provide viewers with program information in a grid format. Specifically, in printed television program guides, the channel numbers are arranged along the vertical axis, the times are arranged along the horizontal axis, and the programs are listed in the cross sections of the channel axis and the time axis. Many printed television program guides also list programs alphabetically. Recently developed electronic program guides (EPG), in addition to having the features provided by the printed television program guides, also allow viewers to search a program database according to key words, such as the names of the actors, title, theme (drama, sports, news,), etc. Such EPGs have utility not just in televisions, but in all audio-visual (AV) systems, which can include TVs, videocassette recorders (VCRs), AV amplifiers, or even personal computers.
While existing EPGs can provide viewers with information about current and future programs, they are unable to provide information about the previous programs. This can be inconvenient to viewers. For example, if a viewer was unable to watch one or more previous episodes of a program, it is difficult for the viewer to follow the current episode. Some viewers may tape the episodes of a program they are unable to watch live. However, to know the gist of the recorded episodes, the viewers have to go through the tapes, and they often do not have time to do so before watching the current episode of the program. To these viewers, it would be desirable to display the description of the previous episodes of the program before watching the episode or while watching the current episode.
There is, therefore, a need for an improved EPG for an AV system that maintains the history information about the previous episodes of a program.
There is another need for an improved EPG for an AV system that can interactively display the history information about the previous episodes of a program.
There is yet a further need for an improved EPG for an AV system that can interactively display the history information about the previous episodes of a program while the current episode is being displayed on the audio-visual system.
The present invention provides an improved EPG for an AV system to meet these needs.
To overcome the shortcomings in the available art, the present invention provides a novel method for displaying information on a AV system by receiving history information in electronic form regarding a program, storing the history information in the AV system, and interactively displaying the history information on the AV system at a distant future time, e.g., a few days later. Preferably, the history information includes a description of the program.
Where the program includes a plurality of episodes, the method includes receiving history information in electronic form by means of the AV system regarding a previous one of the episodes of the program, storing the history information for the previous episode in the AV system, receiving by means of the AV system a current episode at a time subsequent to the previous episode, and displaying, for a viewer of the AV system, the history information for the previous episode. The current episode may be displayed on the AV system while the history information for the previous episode is also being displayed on the AV system. The history information can include a description of the previous episode.
Another embodiment of the invention is a method for receiving and displaying history information on a AV system regarding a program having a plurality of episodes and includes the steps of receiving both a broadcast of a particular episode of the program and history information, in electronic form, regarding the particular episode, determining whether any previous episodes of the program were stored in the AV system, and, if any previous episodes were stored in the AV system, automatically storing the history information for the particular episode in the AV system. In this embodiment, a current one of the episodes is received at a time subsequent to receiving the particular episode and the history information for the particular episode is displayed on the AV system. Further included can be the step of displaying the current episode on the AV system, while the history information regarding the particular episode is being displayed on the AV system. In this embodiment, the history information includes a description of the particular episode.
The invention is also embodied in an apparatus for displaying information on a AV system, comprising a receiver for receiving history information in electronic form regarding a program, a display screen, a memory for storing the history information, a controller for controlling the receiver, the display screen, and the memory, and a user activated controller for interactively causing the controller to display the history information on the display screen at a time chosen by the user. Preferably, the history information is a description of the program.
Where the program has a plurality of episodes, the apparatus according to the invention includes a receiver for receiving history information in electronic form by means of the AV system regarding a previous one of the episodes of the program and including receiving a current episode at a time subsequent to the previous episode, a memory for storing the history information for the previous episode in the AV system, a display screen for selectively displaying, for a viewer of the AV system, the history information for the previous episode, and a controller for controlling the receiver, the memory and the display screen. The controller preferably causes the display screen to display the current episode on the display screen while the history information for the previous episode is also being displayed on the display screen. The history information includes a description of the previous episode.
Still another embodiment of the invention is an apparatus for receiving and displaying history information on a AV system regarding a program having a plurality of episodes, comprising a receiver for receiving both a broadcast of a particular episode of the program and history information, in electronic form, regarding the particular episode, a display screen for displaying the program and the history information, a memory for storing the received history information, and a controller for controlling the receiver, the display screen and the memory. The controller determines whether any previous episodes of the program were stored in the AV system, and, if any previous episodes were stored in the AV system automatically stores the history information for the particular episode in the memory. When the receiver receives a current one of the episodes, the controller can cause the display screen to display the history information for a previous episode. The controller can also cause the display screen to display the current episode while the history information regarding the particular episode is being displayed on the display screen. The history information includes a description of the particular episode.
In the preferred embodiments, the AV system is a television system.
The present invention further encompasses an electronic program guide (EPG) circuit which includes an EPG processor circuit, including a central processing unit (CPU), supplied with a video signal input, a horizontal sync input, and a vertical sync input. The video signal input includes EPG program information in electronic form describing viewable programs which is extracted from the video signal by the EPG processor circuit. The EPG circuit further includes a read only memory (ROM) connected to the EPG processor circuit for storing a program used by the EPG""s CPU, and a random access memory supplied with the EPG program information by the EPG processor circuit, for storing EPG program information for a plurality of episodes of a given program. The EPG can further include a non-volatile memory for storing user specific information pertaining to the EPG circuit.
The EPG processor circuit outputs an on screen display (OSD) signal for displaying the history information of a selected episode of a program.
The EPG program information can be derived from any suitable source. It can be extended data service data contained in the vertical blanking interval of the video signal or a cable system""s out of band (OOB) data stream. Where the video signal is a digital signal, the EPG program information is in the digital signal""s program specific information protocol (PSIP). The EPG program information can also be received via the Internet or a public switched telephone network.